High Seas and Clashing Swords
by ImperialOtaku
Summary: In a strange turn of events, Marinette is transported to a place, or should she say time, that seems impossible. She must adapt quickly to this new environment filled with rowdy pirates, high-risk situations, and a silly cat while trying to figure out why she is there, and how to get home. Pirate!AU
1. Chapter 1

**(A/N) Welcome to an unexpected story! I'm putting everything else on a backburner for now thanks to this story idea that popped into my head the night before I started writing this.**

 **This story is partially inspired by a book I read years ago. A book by the author Carrie Vaughn titled** _ **Steel.**_ **And the other part was inspired by an album I listened to recently by the group Two Steps from Hell. So, to keep it short, it's a pirate story.**

 **Now to explain a few things before we begin. In this story, Marinette is a fencer. We saw her abilities in Riposte, so let's take it one step further, she's still the little designer we know and love only with a new element to her. This is the biggest point with how it will affect the plot. Another point is no superhero stuff, complete AU like a few of my other fics. Slight age jump as well for this, Marinette will be 16 in this story. Final point of this is, this is a fic that Adrien ended up not going to school, and you'll just have to wait and see why.**

 **And now, Disclaimers! I. Own. Nothing. As usual I'm just fandom trash wanting to write a story. Miraculous belongs to its amazing creators who continue to blow me away with each episode. Also, I don't own the original story this story is inspired by. I haven't read it in years so if by the off chance I accidentally do something, all those rights go to Carrie Vaughn respectively.**

 **With that out of the way… *ahem* I hope ye be ready fer an excitin' tales lads and lasses!**

 ***boop***

The match was too close to call…

 _Too close to call…_

Marinette buried her head in her hands as she sat alone in the locker room, suppressing any emotions that were trying to push their way out. All the months of hard work to get to this point, had ended in a frustrating decision. She and her opponent had tapped each other in such a tight margin that the victor was undeterminable, it didn't help that the system that was normally used had decided to break down entirely at that decision-making moment. To figure out why and possibly reprogram the faulty technology, it had been decided that in two weeks' time a deciding match would take place to see who would officially be advancing to The Championship.

Marinette should be relieved…

Her chances of reaching her goal was still in reach…

…but she wasn't…

She played the match over and over in her head, all looping back to the one hesitation that had led to the result she was now facing.

How could she let herself pause like that? Why couldn't she have finished off her opponent right then and there and entirely avoided the pressure that was now on her shoulders?

She sighed, before coming to the decision that a walk might be a good way to clear her head. Sending texts to both her parents and friends to let them know the situation, she packed her fencing gear back into her locker before leaving the building.

The sun was low as she began her walk, just enough so that dark oranges were now spreading their way across the sky. She took a deep breath, before picking a random direction and started making her way. Marinette has lived her entire life in Paris, so there was no worry of losing her way among the many streets that surrounded her.

Even as she walked on, she still couldn't stop thinking about the match. Various possible outcomes were now running through her head. Some of them she won, some she lost, but that lingering tie that she was rewarded with was always there.

Her opponent was a formidable one, that much was certain. It could easily be seen that Kagami had received extensive training before moving to Paris. It had been a surprise to many, including Marinette, that they had been as evenly matched as they were. Knowing this would have been enough for Marinette even if she had lost, she would have taken that defeat proudly and waited for her chance again next year. Only now though, the stress she was now to deal with for two weeks felt like it would be unbearable.

Escaping her thoughts, she looked at her surroundings to find herself walking along the banks of the Seine. She often has come here to relax and sketch, so it only made sense that her feet would have brought her here now.

She looked across the water, appreciating the various colors that were being reflected from the sky. Her fingers twitched as she wished she had brought her sketchbook along, all thanks to the inspiring image in front of her.

As she turned to leave, something caught her eye. In the water, right next to where she was standing was a small box. She knelt to get a better look, before deciding to just grab it from the water entirely.

The box seemed extremely old, contact to the water had made it feel extremely soft as it came to rest in her hand. Whatever this was, it has been in the water for quite a long time, years even. The box appeared to be black, whether from paint or from being in the water for so long. The top was adorned with dark red engravings that seemed almost Chinese in origin, she made a note to ask her mother about it when she got home. Her eyes finally came to rest on the metallic latch that kept this mysterious box shut, the age of this box easily shown through this tiny piece that was completely enveloped in rust. Ignoring the cautious inner voice telling her to leave the box alone, she reached for the latch.

Despite the amount of rust, the latch moved with ease much to her shock. The sound of air depressurizing sharply caused Marinette to slightly jump. Whoever had made this box had somehow made it well enough that the inside had be airtight against the amount of years it had been here. As she opened it, her eyes widened.

Thanks to the airtightness of the box, the insides had remained untouched to the elements. Dark fabric carefully lined the inside, perfectly accenting what this box had been keeping safe for who knows how long.

Twin red gems sparkled in front of her eyes. She was taken aback slightly, wondering who would possibly toss something like this in the water. Then again, it could have been an accident. Whoever lost these must be desperate to get them back. She was coming to a decision to return them to the rightful owner when she noticed one more thing. A small yellow triangle was sticking out of the black fabric closest to her. Pulling at it, it revealed to be a long strip of parchment, clearly old judging by the yellow tint of the paper. One side contained words, a message that she had to bring close to read it's small, cursive writing.

' _To whomever finds this, I entrust these to you, please keep them safe and close at all times.'_

The last word was smudged, making it illegible to Marinette. She could only assume it was the person's name who had written this message. Looking back at the gems, the words were setting in. The previous owner wanted whoever found these to keep them for who knows why.

Without warning, the remainder of the box disintegrated entirely in her hands, including the black fabric and parchment. The only thing remaining in her hand now was the gems. Amid her shock, she noticed the gems had metallic backs that were now pressing lightly on her palms. Tilting her hand slightly, she discovered quickly that the items she was holding were truly earrings, not just the initial gems she saw.

Wanting to forget the strange occurrence she went through, she started to make her way home. Panic slowly dissipating with each step she took with the sky darkening slowly around her. With the earrings still in her hands, she realized this experience had made her forget about the stressful situation she had been fretting about only moments before. Looking down at them again, she considered the idea that maybe these could be a good luck charm as she prepared for the match in two weeks.

 _Unbeknownst to her, these earrings would do something more than that, something no one would ever deem possible…_

 ***boop***

 **I imagine some of you are wondering where the pirate stuff is, well… trust me when I say it is coming very, very soon.**

 **Thoughts? Opinions? Criticism? Please leave them all in a review! I hope you all are ready for what's to come!**

 **Lots of Love to you all!**

 **~Imperial**


	2. Chapter 2

**(A/N) I was planning on releasing this last Wednesday, but inspiration was low and too many other things piled up so here we are. I don't really have any announcements, so we can get right into it. Thank you to those who have already favorited, followed, and reviewed. You guys are awesome!**

 ***boop***

"Come on girl, admit it."

"Admit what, Alya?"

"Admit that I do come up with good ideas."

Marinette couldn't help but laugh at her friend's remark, in turn earning a knowing smirk. Though even though she won't admit it, she's not wrong. Out of all of Alya's crazy ideas, this seemed to be one of the better ones.

When she had barged into Marinette's room a few days ago and declared they were going away for a few days, Marinette had looked at her friend as if she had grown two heads.

But as she now soaked up the sun on a boat named _Destiny_ just off the coast of Southern France, she decided that maybe she should go along with Alya's ideas more often.

"Ignore my genius all you want Marinette, but you really did need this." This statement earned a confirmative hum from Marinette as she looked across the open water.

She would have denied it back then, but it was extremely clear that Marinette needed some time away to relax. With the deciding match in a little over a week from now, she had only become more and more tense as it had come closer, and it was to the point where it was blatantly obvious to those close to her.

So now they were here, with a rented boat to take it easy for a few days. It wasn't only just the two of them though, Nino and a few others from their class had joined them for their 'vacation.' Not everyone who had been invited were able to make it, Nino and Alya seemed particularly sad for one or two. Those ones Marinette didn't know personally, so it didn't really affect her mood as much.

As she looked over the water, she could help but rub her new earrings again. It was such strange circumstances that she had found them, and part of her wanted to doubt that what had happened really did occur. Before she had put them on, she had made sure to clean them thoroughly, not wanting to risk the chance of anything that could possibly infect her. When she had been disinfecting them was when she had notice that there were small black gems inlaid in the main red ones. She had counted five per earring, somewhat resembling a ladybug to her. And here they now were, shining from their new spot on her ears as a sort of unofficial good luck charm.

No one had been rather inquisitive of the new earrings, well, all except Alya of course. Marinette hadn't kept any details of the strange experience from her friend, which had then turned into Alya spewing out multiple ridiculous possibilities of their origins. From magic to Aliens, Marinette had soon turned into a laughing mess on the floor as Alya had rambled on. Even with the hilarious ideas, the mystery of their origin still remained. Marinette didn't notice anything else significant about them after putting them on, which in a way put Alya's ideas to rest.

"You still with me girl? Nino's starting to gather everyone for lunch." Those words and a hand waving in front of her face are what brought Marinette back to the present. As she turned to face Alya, the apologetic smile on her face was enough to confirm to Alya how spaced out her best friend really had been. She gestured her head towards where the others were gathering near the front of the boat.

"Come on, if we don't get over there now, the boys might not save us anything." The two giggled before they started to make their way over.

At that moment, an unexpected wave rocked _Destiny_ , startling all of its passengers. Marinette and Alya were knocked down onto the seats that lined the back of the boat. Wide-eyed, they looked at each other before turning to look at the water.

The sky was still clear, but the once nearly still water was now rolling as if a storm was above it. During the strange occurrence happening around them, Marinette swore that her earrings grew slightly warmer. She looked back to the others to see Nino cautiously making his way over to them. Both girls stood, as Nino reached out a hand. Alya was the one to slowly inch forward to grab it before turning slightly to offer her other arm to Marinette.

That's when the next big wave hit…

Nino and Alya were knocked down to the floor of the boat, winded from the surprise force, they managed to lift their heads up.

Just in time to see Marinette fall off the boat and into the water…

"Marinette!" Forgotten were the dangerous water conditions as Alya rushed towards the edge of the boat, Nino close behind and gripping her shoulders. Frantically the two searched the water for their friend. Time passed slowly and soon tears formed in both sets of eyes as Alya cried out.

"N-Nino I d-don't see her! We h-have to go in a-after her! She c-could be dying f-for all we know!"

His mind set, Nino shouted for the others who had managed the waves better than they had. A plan forming in his head to somehow try and save their friend.

Meanwhile, Marinette was sure she was inevitably going to drown. The wave had thrown her into the water in such a way that she was disoriented on impact, unsure of what was up and what was down. Despite the utter terror flooding her system, she still tried to do something despite how much danger she currently was in while she continued to lose oxygen.

It was then that the earrings grew incredibly hot, not enough to hurt, but certainly enough for it not to be her imagination. She swore there was a light getting brighter and brighter despite her eyes being closed. As both reached a climax, she felt a shift in the water around her. It was enough for her to crack open an eye to take account of the situation.

Through her now stinging eye, she could make out the proper way to orient herself to swim towards the surface. With her lungs screaming, she broke the surface and took a large gasp of air. Coughing, she kept herself afloat as she cleared her eyes. She could imagine with how long she had been under the water that her friends were worried for her safety and quickly looked around for them.

…the boat wasn't there…

She spun around, scanning as far as her eyes would allow her to even catch a glimpse of _Destiny_. Her breathing becoming more and more panicked as she frantically looked for it.

Nothing…

Nothing at all…

She… was she going to die out here?

Marinette proceeded to shout for help, hoping that her voice would somehow traverse across the waves to reach her friends or possibly another passerby. The lingering doubt grew as she continued to try and call for someone, anyone. With her throat going dry she switched her focus onto survival. Going back in her mind to what she had been taught, she positioned herself so that she could stay afloat without wasting too much energy. She cursed to herself for not wearing her life vest when she had been on the back of the _Destiny_ like she should have. Her excuse at the time was wanting to get an even tan, but now, only garbed in a bikini, she mentally kicked herself multiple times. The sun was still high in the sky, so the worry about staying warm could be put off for now. She continued to try and calm herself as she listed off the steps she had been taught before she and her friends had come out on the ship.

She yelped in surprise as a pair of hands roughly pulled her from the water. Her eyes instinctively shut as she was lifted and set down on a solid surface. Relief flooded her mind because her cries for help had worked despite her not hearing these people coming. She opened her eyes, ready to thank her saviors before freezing entirely.

Everything that was in front of her… was extremely off…

She was in a small, wooden rowboat with three other individuals. The make of the rowboat was confusing, but not as much as the people in front of her. She completely ignored the one sitting next to her as she took in the appearance of the other two.

Both were men weathered by the elements. Dark, tanned skin from days out in the sun was obvious even by a glance, but that didn't bother her as much as their clothing that seemed to be from a different century in style. Both had similar trousers and boots that seemed extremely out of place to her, and while one wore a loose-fitting shirt, the other was completely shirtless which caused Marinette to try and focus her eyes on something else.

Looking up at their heads, she first noticed the makeshift bandanas that were protecting their heads from the sun. Various facial hair and scars adorned their faces to show what kind of life they led. She met their hardened eyes to find them widened in shock, which led her to realize how her current attire compared to theirs. Marinette's face reddened in embarrassment as she felt more and more uncomfortable as they continued to gawk. Not to mention the strangeness of the entire situation she was currently in.

She felt fabric touch her shoulders, causing her to look down to see an orange coat of some kind being placed there in an offer to help cover her up. She obliged quickly, slipping her arms into the sleeves and buttoning the coat up enough to make her modest as an older female voice spoke to the two men in front of her.

"That'll be enough starin' for now, don't think the lass wants more to deal with." The men snapped to attention at her words, muttering apologies as they kept their eyes focused on the one who had given them orders. After she had finished adjusting the large coat, Marinette turned to the woman who had helped her out of embarrassment.

Out of the other people on the boat, this person had the strangest fashion of all. Orange trousers were matched up with brown boots that had strange markings. The loose white shirt was similar to the man's, though clearly made for a woman in mind with less of a low cut around the neck. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail with a white ribbon. The strangest thing about her was the orange and white mask on her face, clearly intended to disguise the wearer despite its small size.

The woman turned to Marinette, it was clear now to her that this strange woman was middle-aged with the laugh lines around her eyes and other facial features. Ignoring the studying gaze, the woman quietly spoke to Marinette with a voice laced with comfort.

"You alright lass? Actually, do you understand French?"

Marinette, being unsure what to say, only nodded in response. This caused the woman to smile in relief before turning her attention back to the men.

"Well boys, I think it's time we return to the ship."

The men looked at each other in confusion before turning back to the woman. The man in the shirt then spoke up in a gruff voice.

"But, what about what th' Captain's wanted out here? The thing we were sent out t'find?"

The woman smirked before gesturing to Marinette, certainty in her voice as she replied.

"I believe we have already found it." Marinette watched as her eyes narrowed and she spoke again with a more commanding tone. "Now as I said before, get us back to the ship you two!"

"Yes, Madame Rena!" In an instant the two replied in unison before quickly grabbing the oars. The woman, apparently called Madame Rena, pulled out a compass and directed the men in the right direction.

The small boat soon fell into a moderate silence with only the grunts of the men as the rowed to break it. Madame Rena cast side glances at the girl next to her as the boat moved on, not saying anything else to her.

Marinette was… extremely confused on the entire situation. She felt as if she had stepped into a storybook or pirate movie of some kind. Which by itself seemed extremely impossible. Part of her wanted to believe it was some kind of elaborate joke, and that soon enough cameras and some TV announcer would come out and reveal how she was completely tricked or something along those lines.

But another part of her, as part stronger than the other, was certain that what she was experiencing was completely real…

 ***boop***

 **And now the fun pirate stuff can begin. Hope you're all excited for Chapter 3!**

 **Now this is gonna feel like a Public Safety Announcement but bear with me. It kind of needs to be said not to do what Marinette did. Please, when you're out on open water, wear a life vest. Whether it's an ocean or a lake, it will be much safer to wear one, even if it's annoying. I have been boating a few times and even though I have never fallen off a boat, I have easily fallen off the fun rafts they can pull numerous times. You never know what can happen guys so please be safe. Ok, safety rant over…**

 **Well I hope to get the next chapter out next week, so I'll see you then!**

 **Lots of Love to you all!**

 **~Imperial**


	3. Chapter 3

**(A/N) I really need to get my crap together and get a better schedule for releasing these… sorry again for the delay everyone.**

 **In my defense, making a cosplay does cut in to writing time. As well as a lot of family stuff the last few weeks. But enough excuses, let's get into it, shall we?**

 ***boop***

At a glance, Marinette's stone-like expression made it appear as if she was calm.

But in reality, it was only to mask the growing possibility of a panic attack.

She had no idea where she was, or where her friends were. No other boats in sight, only her in the small rowboat with three other people she did not know. Not to mention the fact that they were garbed in strange historical outfits. The only sounds that accompanied them were the waves and the occasional grunt from one of the men who were rowing them to an unknown destination.

Marinette was terrified to the point of silence. Normally whenever she was scared, it was a lot more vocalization and arm-flailing, but this wasn't anything like watching a scary movie or walking through a haunted house.

 _What exactly were these people going to do to her when they reached their destination?_

The older woman would often glance down at her, concern flickering in her eyes. From what Marinette could remember, this woman, Madame Rena, had been discussing with one of the men something about a Captain or Captain's. She was unclear due to the way they spoke, if she had any guess they spoke like pirate's she had seen in movies.

Either this was an elaborate joke with some very detailed cosplayers, or just like her gut was telling her, that this was real.

But that didn't make any sense to her, this kind of thing existed hundreds of years ago. So, unless she somehow travelled through time, this whole situation was entirely impossible.

Amidst her internal conflict, she looked out over the ocean. More specifically, she turned her attention towards the direction they were heading. She wasn't sure if she was seeing things, but she swore she saw a small dark speck along the horizon.

"That's definitely the ship, good eye lass." Marinette's concentration was broken when Madame Rena spoke. Turning her head, she saw that the older woman was looking through a spyglass before offering it to her. With a shaking hand, she took the spyglass before pointing it where the distant ship lay.

It took a second to find her target, but soon enough she could see the dark colored ship in more detail. It looked like the many other ships she had seen in history books or movies. As she tried to study it, it was clear that the ship was turning towards them. It was becoming clear that someone on the ship had seen their small rowboat and decided to meet them somewhat in the middle.

Marinette handed the spyglass to Madame Rena as the dread began to grow in her stomach. With every minute that passed the small speck gradually grew larger and larger more rapidly than before. Madame Rena could easily see the fear on Marinette's face now and gave her a comforting squeeze on her shoulder, almost as if it was a silent promise guaranteeing her safety. Though, it still didn't do much for the everlasting confusion and fear.

She could now see the ship as clearly as she had in the spyglass, with more and more details as it continued to approach. Marinette almost gasped at the realization of it's size compared to their small rowboat. She could hear shouting as it slowed to a stop next to them almost perfectly. Two ropes and a ladder were tossed down to the four in the rowboat, and the men immediately took the ends of the ropes and began tying them to the boat.

It was then that Madame Rena stood, putting on a tricorne hat that Marinette hadn't noticed until now. Two foxlike 'ears' were nestled almost comically on top of the hat were close to causing Marinette to laugh if not for the situation she was in. The older woman grabbed ahold of the ladder before beckoning Marinette to follow. Mustering as much courage as she could to grab the ladder, heart pounding as she shakily made her way up. Marinette could hear Madame Rena speaking to people above her, but she was too focused on climbing the ladder safely to properly listen to what was being said.

As she reached the top, a gloved hand reached out to help her up. She looked up to see Madame Rena, a comforting smile spread across her face. Marinette in turn could help but offer a small smile in return, which seemed to relieve Madame Rena as a wider grin graced her features.

Madame Rena's expression darkened as she turned her head. Following her line of sight, Marinette was met with half a dozen unmasked men staring back at her and the older woman. While some gave their full attention to the older woman, a few would glance at Marinette with peaked interest.

One's gaze was proving to be rather uncomfortable for the girl.

"Remember what I said boys, if any of you so much as lay a finger on her, you'll not only answer to me, but the Captain's as well. If you think my punishments are bad, yer in for a surprise." Madame Rena then moves her head to whisper into Marinette's ear.

"I'll be back shortly lass, don't let these boys try anything." Marinette's eyes widen as she realized what she was being told. Fear and anxiety began to build as Madame Rena gave her one more comforting squeeze on the shoulder and made her way to a door on the back of the ship.

Marinette stood there awkwardly, not knowing of what to do or where look as the men stared. They traded unsure glances with each other before the one who had held a predatory gaze started to walk towards her. The other men looked at him in shock before one stammered out in confusion.

"T-Theo, Madame Rena said to leave 'er alone, what're you-"

"Oh, shut it! Like the bosses will ever find out. Besides, after I'm done with her, there won't be any need for it." The man supposedly named Theo gave her a grin that left her both nauseated as well as terrified. She had to try and get away from him and fast, her mind racing as he reached up a hand as he got closer and closer.

"You know, by the looks of things, she's not in the slightest interested in what you're offering." A new voice caused everyone to look around in surprise. Marinette's eyes came to rest on a figure leaning nonchalantly against one of the masts.

The first thing she noticed is that he was entirely dressed in black, which by itself was extremely different than the rest of the men. Even down to the scabbard attached to his hip was completely black. Messy golden locks were only slightly tamed by the tricorne hat similar in fashion to what the fox-themed one had been. Also, much like Madame Rena, he wore a mask that seemed to bring out green eyes even from this distance. He flashes her a grin before Theo addresses him.

"Stay out of this Chat Noir, I saw her first. You can go and return to the crow's nest." He voiced with a copious amount of disdain.

"On the contrary, if this is a competition of first sight, then it is obvious I saw her first since I was the one who spotted the rowboat." 'Chat Noir' winked at her before continuing his retort, "And on top of that, even if it was the case of first sight, she would still be disinterested."

This caused Theo to snarl and turn his full attention to the other man. They continued to bicker, Chat Noir staying surprisingly calm while Theo's rage continued to grow by the second. As everyone else's attention was on the two men, Marinette looked around, trying to find a way to defend herself in case this turned sour. Each of the men had sheathed swords at there hips, all different in some way.

As luck would have it, the hilt of the man closest to her was familiar. She might have to thank her fencing instructor if, and when, she gets home on showing her what a rapier hilt often looked like.

"Just because the Captain's favor you, doesn't mean I have to obey you! The girl is going to be mine and there's nothing you can do about it!" Theo turned back towards Marinette, reaching out to grab her forcefully. Chat Noir's gaze hardened as he began to move.

Chat Noir was quick to react, but Marinette was faster…

In a fluid movement, she dodged Theo's hands. Moving in the direction of her desired objective, the sound of the metal weapon being unsheathed caused all the men to freeze and stare at the now-armed Marinette.

Her face was hard as she pointed the rapier at Theo. The weight of the weapon had only taken her by surprise for a second. It was a different feeling than the foil she usually worked with, but at the same time, it was still similar enough to not hinder her training useless.

The first one to recover was Theo, who began to chuckle at her actions before pulling out his own sword. The cutlass did little to intimidate her as he spoke again.

"Oh, this one's a fighter," he spoke jokingly as he playfully tapped her sword with his and continued, "sorry to say this, but you're dealing with a very exp-"

With a flick of her wrist, she sent his cutlass flying out of his hands and readied herself again. It took a moment for everyone to registered what had occurred. 'Chat Noir' smirked, the other men were in awe, and Theo's face filled with rage.

"Why you little…"

"I think we've seen enough. Barbot! My office, now!" Madame Rena's voice called everyone to attention. Theo physically cringed before obeying the order. Marinette exhaled in relief as she lowered the rapier before turning to look at Madame Rena and two new faces.

 ***boop***

 **And there we go, hope this was interesting to you guys. Got some more familiar faces in play now.**

 **I'll try to be more consistent with releasing chapters. Though I will say with next Wednesday being a holiday, there won't be a new chapter then.**

 **Until next time, Lots of love to you all!**

 **~Imperial**


End file.
